I am extremely grateful for the translation of "The Injustice of Dou E", the fourth compulsory high school Chinese language course published by Qiurenjiao Press, and the second chapter!

Wedge Translation:

Dou E's mother died when she was young. Her father, Dou Tianzhang, was a poor scholar. Because he lacked the means to attend the exam in Beijing, he sold her to Grandma Cai's family as a child bride. But within two years of arriving at Cai's house, her husband fell ill and died, leaving only Dou E and her mother-in-law to depend on each other.

Second translation:

Zhang Luer holds a grudge. A few days later, Granny Cai fell ill and asked Dou E to make sheep tripe soup for her. Zhang Luer secretly poured poison into the soup, hoping to kill Granny Cai first and then force Dou E to get married. Dou E served the mutton tripe soup to Granny Cai. Grandma Cai took the bowl and suddenly felt uncomfortable and wanted to vomit, so she gave it to Mr. Zhang to drink. Zhang Laoer was poisoned and rolled on the ground a few times before dying. Zhang Luer did not expect to poison his father to death. He was so angry that he framed the crime of murder on Dou E. Reported to Chuzhou Yamen.

The prefect of Chuzhou was corrupt and perverted the law. Zhang Luer secretly bribed Dou E with money and took Dou E to court for interrogation without asking any questions, forcing her to confess. Dou E was tortured and tortured to death, but she still refused to admit it.

The prefect knew that Dou E was very filial to her mother-in-law, so he wanted to torture Granny Cai in front of Dou E. Dou E thought that her mother-in-law was old and could not bear the torture, so she had to confess unjustly and admitted that she had poisoned herself. So the corrupt prefect sentenced Dou E to death and was taken to the execution ground for execution.

Extended information:

"The Injustice of Dou E" (referred to as "The Injustice of Dou E") is a drama created by the Yuan Dynasty dramatist Guan Hanqing and published in the 10th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty. (1582).

The whole play contains four twists and turns. It tells the story of Dou E, a weak widow who was framed by gangsters and beaten by an unfaithful official. She finally became a murderer and was sentenced to be beheaded in public. Before her execution, Dou E, filled with grief and indignation, made three vows: blood spattered in vain, snow falling in June, and three years of drought. Sure enough, Dou E was deeply moved by her injustice, and her three vows were fulfilled one by one.

This play shows the tragic situation of the lower class people who are at the mercy of others and have no way to complain. It accuses the dark reality of corrupt officials who disregard human life and vividly portrays the female image of Dou E. The play also embodies Guan Hanqing's language style, his words are full of human feelings, and every word is true to his true nature.

Era Background

During the Yuan Dynasty, in order to meet the extravagant life and military needs of the Mongolian nobles, some Mongolian ministers colluded with local officials, took bribes and violated the law, and did everything. Under cruel class oppression and national oppression, working people of all ethnic groups are living a miserable life, especially the Han and Southerners who are discriminated against and have countless unjust cases.

Some scholars with a sense of justice were dissatisfied with the dark rule of the government, so they used the form of drama to expose the evils of the officialdom and social injustice. Guan Hanqing was one of them. He wrote the tragic experiences of the people he saw and heard into his script "The Injustice of Dou E" that moved the world.

Reference material: The injustice of Dou E that moved the world